"Researchers: 'Living Fossils' Are Unique, Not Ancient"
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Phys.org
Researchers from Imperial College London, the Zoological Society of London, and the University of Canterbury have introduced a new metric called "evolutionary heritage" to better capture the unique traits of species over time. This approach challenges the traditional concept of "living fossils" by emphasizing the ongoing evolution and unique features of species rather than their superficial resemblance to ancient ancestors. The new framework aims to enhance biodiversity assessments and has potential applications in conservation and ecological research.